Hi Minna, it's been a very very long time.
I had to overcome my finals before I had the time and concentration to continue more fics.
Arigatou to those who reviewed! And those who didn't I hope you will :P
And after the long wait, may I present- Chapter 3
Enjoy!
Chapter 3- Fight for survival, because we're a team that's why.
The next morning, teams 7 reported at the given time and were left to wait for their examiner.
"Where is he!" yelled Naruto aloud, annoyed by the fact that they had been waiting for 4 hours.
Sasuke remained silent with his eyes closed, while Sakura was lying on the grass land staring at the sky, slowly watching the change of colour. Everyone was quiet for a moment when Sakura suddenly spoke.
"He's doing this on purpose, that Kakashi guy" told Sakura as she didn't move from her position.
"What are you talking about Sakura-chan?" asked the confused Naruto
Sakura got up from her position and answer with a smile "Endurance Naruto, a true Shinobi would be able to adapt to his or her surrounds and blend in to continue the mission. If you listened in class you would have come across this sentence."
"It's obvious this dobe doesn't listen in class" said Sasuke suddenly as he opened his eyes.
"Nani! Teme-Sasuke yaro!"Yelled Naruto as he jumped up from his sitting position ready to get in a fight with Sasuke. Sasuke as usual just smirked and a muttered "Dobe"
Sakura shook her head and thought silently
Team 7?
I wonder how far this team will go
"Alright that's enough you two" Said a voice suddenly as a silver hair guy appeared.
"Kakashi-sensei you're late!" yelled Naruto as he turned his attention towards Kakashi
Kakashi laughed and began with his lame explanations "Well, you see I got lost on the road of life" satisfied with his answer he walked ahead to the training ground leaving the other three shocked and confused by his answer.
"He got lost?" repeated Sakura not believing what she had just heard
"On the road of life" mumbled Sasuke annoyed by the strange reply
And Naruto? He was left with shocked with his mouth wide open.
Kakashi stared at the view in front of him and mumbled "We have an interesting batch this year." He stood in front of the shiny stone with tiny carvings of names all over, the memorial for all honorable nins.
"Your mission" he said seriously getting all eyes upon him. "To get a bell from me each"
He took out 2 sliver bells and hung them on his belt.
"But there's only 2 bells" noticed Sakura aloud.
"That's right; the one that fail getting the bell will be sent back to the academy and will not become a Shinobi again. You will not be able to complete this mission unless you have the intention to kill me."
That line made Sakura shiver, she can't fail now can she? After all the hardships the clan made her go through, the sacrifice of the precious father to protect her life. She just can't fail the responsibilities she had to hold.
"I can't fail" she mumbled to herself, as her bright green eyes shone at the silver bells. "I'll get it even if my life depends on it."
Kakashi noticed the change of expression on Sakura "She's fired up, lets see how she performs" thought the silver hair Jounin with a smile hidden behind the mask.
Sasuke just smirked, "get a bell and you pass? That's too easy."
"Hmmm I hope the ones that pass will be me and Sakura" Thought Naruto with a huge grin.
"You have until noon; you can use any weapons and jutsu. Just one rule get a bell or you'll be eliminated, those eliminated will have no lunch too." reminded Kakashi for the last time.
The 3 students glared at him with eyes to kill as they all had the same thoughts in mind "So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast!"
"The test begins now!"
Sasuke and Sakura sped off into different directions hiding among the darkness of the forest behind them. Only the yellow hair boy stood in his original position with his arms folded.
"Kakashi-sensei, I challenge you!" said Naruto proudly
Kakashi smiled in amusement at that line "Shouldn't you be hiding like the rest?"
"A shinobi must be brave and face the situation" told Naruto with a grin.
"He really did grow up an interesting way" thought the Jounin. "Let me teach you something about shinobis." Completing his sentence, he sped off at high speed around Naruto. When he stopped, Naruto was already hanging upside down from the tress.
"YOU CHEATED!" yelled Naruto
Kakashi took out his famous perverted book and started reading, "A shinobi must analyze the situation before facing off with his opponent.
Moments later, shurikens were sent from the trees towards the reading nin. Kakashi douched them easily as Sasuke came out to face him.
"Easy Sasuke, this is nothing compared to what you've been training all along. You can complete this mission, because you are an Uchiha."
With this in mind, Sasuke fought. He cast a fire ball blowing it towards the Jounin, firing dozens of kunai hidden within the flame. However it did not meet its target and the silver hair nin disappeared.
"Where will he attack from? Above? From the left or right?" Sasuke look all over suddenly he heard a voice "From the bottom" and he was pulled into the ground under him.
Sasuke cursed silently as he faced the back of Kakashi walking away.
"Two down, 1 more to go" said Kakashi to himself. The genius of the Haruno clan, I wonder what she will do."
Sakura leaned against the tree viewing the sight before her, "Even Sasuke got defeated, this guy is sure not simple to deal with."
After a few minutes of careful planning, she was ready to launch her attack. She did a few seals- a horse, a hare then a serpent.
She walked out of her hiding place slowly never taking her eyes off Kakashi.
Kakashi looked up from his book, confused. "Decided to give up Sakura?"
Sakura smiled then turned serious "I'll show you why I am different from those two." Then her palms parted, making a dash towards him.
Kakashi put his book back into his pocket and got ready to fight, Sakura aimed her palm at him as Kakashi douched her palm. Sakura smirked and continue doing so; Naruto got confused and question her.
"Sakura-chan! What cha doing waving your hands around?" yelled Naruto
"She isn't waving her hands around dobe, she's using a jutsu" said Sasuke while observing Sakura.
Kakashi did a back flip and got far from Sakura, Sakura took her stance watching her sensei's wounds on his arm grew bigger due to the excessive movement of escaping from her.
"Kakashi-sensei! What happen to you? Where did you get all those wounds from? Sakura never managed to get any contact with you" shouted Naruto to Kakashi after seeing his wounds.
"Kaze palm no jutsu" said Sakura with a smile, "The jutsu controls the surrounding air pressure, you don't feel anything because wind pressure is everywhere but after a period of time the pressure from the same spot will cause your veins to break. End result of the fight will be death due to lost of blood; you should give up now Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi just smiled in return "Let's continue Sakura."
What? He's still gonna continue, doesn't he already know the danger of the jutsu? Why does he…want to force himself so much?
Sakura paused and said "If I manage to strike you, the wind pressure will enter your body causing your blood flow to be forced backwards causing internal injuries. By then even the best medic-nins will not be able to save you, do you still want to continue?"
Kakashi continued to smile "Yes."
"Isn't that a bit too ruthless Sakura-chan" Naruto asked feeling frightened after hearing about the jutsu. Sakura-chan is scary when she's serious
Why does he want to continue knowing that he can't win already?
"Remain calm Sakura; he must have something up his sleeves. Remember he is a Jounin, he won't lose so easily." Sakura told herself as she got back into her fighting stance and answered Naruto
"Naruto, he said it before didn't he? I won't be able to defeat him if I don't have the intention to kill him"
"Hn, you're just a girl" muttered Sasuke, how that sentence did not go unheard to the young kunochi.
Sasuke no Baka!
"I'm not the one that got stuck in the ground, am I?" retorted Sakura irritated by his attitude.
"Hn"
Kakashi just observed the fight before him, this team. Team 7, was he really going to fail them? Just like how he failed the rest, the lacking of one major key point to survive. The importance of teamwork, this should have been engraved into each shinobi long before. "What had Iruka been teaching them at the academy?" Kakashi wondered to himself.
Without warning he just launched towards Sakura. Sakura shocked at the attack had no time to retaliate; resulted being pinned to the ground with her arms locked my Kakashi behind her.
"Pay attention Sakura" told Kakashi as he released her.
The team gathered and sat on the ground, Naruto was still left hanging by his legs while Kakashi spoke. "Congratulations, you guys failed"
I…
I…failed
How could I have been so…weak?
"Kuso" cursed Sasuke under his breath; he was the genius of the legendary Sharingan clan. The Uchiha clan, how could he have failed to accomplish something so simple of getting a bell. Aniki was right, I am weak and pathetic.
"Have anyone figured out what this exercise is for?" questioned Kakashi
"Two bells and three shinobis, wasn't it a fight for survival?" thought Sakura, analyzing what Kakashi had just said. "He told us it was to test our survival skills, wasn't it?"
Amused at the troubled faces, the sliver hair Jounin reviled the answer "To test your teamwork."
The three faces shot up with widen eyes staring right at the Jounin, "from the way you three performed earlier. You guys have already shown me how much you've known about teamwork."
Teamwork
What's that? Oba-san never taught me anything about it
All along I've only been taught to protect my own,
To live up to the expectations of the clan
That's all…
So what is this unknown word that ring in my head
"Teamwork"
It's not important right?
"You have one last chance, to work together and obtain the bells" Kakashi told them, "If you fail this time, you will be sent back immediately. The test is in 1 hour's time, you can go have your lunch but the condition is that Naruto must be left hanging on the tree throughout the whole hour."
Eyes turned towards Naruto as he took a big gulp and shouted back "It's alright! I'm not hungry!"
Kakashi disappeared leaving the three alone on the field. The raven and pink hair shinobi sat on the ground unable stand up.
Otou-san, what should I do now?
What should I do now, so that I will not fail?
Memories of the time spent with her father came back to her slowly; Sakura chuckled softly remembering one incident when she wailed to her father about how everyone didn't want to play with her.
Flash Back
"Otou-san!" yelled chibi Sakura running into her father's open arms. She was crying and her a bruise on her left knee, "Otou-san, why doesn't everyone wants to play with mee" she wailed loudly to the older Nin.
"Sakura" her father called slowly to get her attention, "in the future you will be working with much more people. So don't give up, continue trying to make new friends."
"Demo Otou-san, they keep making fun of my forehead" complained the young girl
"When you get into the shinobi academy, you'll find a team that will surely accept you for who you are. These will be your teammates, you will experience bitter and sweet with them" the older Haruno told "You will learn to depend, help and work together with them, because you are a team."
Chibi Sakura smiled and told her father "even so, i can still return to complain to you right?"
The red hair nin just smiled.
But he wasn't there to listen to her complains any longer
Otou-san…
Sasuke blushed slightly hearing the sudden chuckled of the pink hair girl, he silently scolded himself.
She's cute when she laughs…
Baka Sasuke what are you saying?
Remember the Haruno and Uchiha are rivals
"Snap out of it" he told himself silently before throwing a kunai towards the tree Naruto was hanging from, cutting the rope that hung him. Naruto fell to the ground yelling at Sasuke.
"SASUKE-TEME, COULDN'T YOU THINK OF A BETTER WAY TO SAVE ME?"
"Hn"
"NANI!"
Sakura stood up observing the change in weather, the skies slowly turned darker and dark clouds were forming. Kakashi appeared out of no where with a very angry expression.
"Why did you release him? Why did you go against my orders and release Naruto? Now you'll have to face the punishments." He said coldly
"You told us this test was all about teamwork and I am part of the team!" shouted Naruto with his eyes closed
"Because we are a three man team" told Sasuke
The two boys turned towards Sakura who said nothing, the pink hair kunochi raised her head and completed Sasuke's answer "and we stick together."
The dark clouds faded away and Kakashi smiled "Team 7, you pass."
Sakura smiled Otou-san, maybe you're right. Maybe I can start depending on others for once.
A figure in the dark forest looked upon the smile of Haruno Sakura, before disappearing.
Sakura
Who taught you to smile?
Looks like you need more training
More…
That's all for this chapter, look forward to the next
Review! & Stay Happy Everyone.
Unheard Symphony…
Because you gave me a reason to live…